REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
April 29, 2025
FROM
WHITNEY J. FIELDS, Director, Department of Risk Management
SUBJECT
Title
Contracts for Investigative Service
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
Approve contracts with the following investigative service providers for the County’s self-insured general liability and workers’ compensation claims programs, in accordance with the contracted fee schedule, for an estimated aggregate cost of $1,125,000, for the period of May 6, 2025 through May 5, 2030:
1. Ally Investigations Inc.
2. Argus West Investigative Services
3. Apex Investigative Services Inc.
4. Command Investigations
5. Digi Stream Los Angeles, Inc.
6. Direct Focus Investigations, LLC
7. Horsemen Inc.
8. RJN Investigations, Inc.
9. SIU Consultant Group LLC
10. Precise Investigative Services
(Presenter: Whitney J. Fields, Director, 386-8621)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Operate in a Fiscally-Responsible and Business-Like Manner.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Approval of this item will not result in the use of additional Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost), as these services will be paid for by the Department of Risk Management’s (DRM) self-insurance general liability and workers’ compensation funds in accordance with the contracted fee schedule (Attachment A of the contracts). These self-insurance funds are financed by County departments and Board-Governed Special Districts via internal service rates approved annually by the Board of Supervisors. The estimated aggregate cost for these services over a five-year period is $1,125,000, or $225,000 per year. The total contract amount was estimated based on statistical usage information from the prior five years and current market rates. The estimated cost of investigative services, which is already included, for the remainder of 2024-25 budget is approximately $10,000. Sufficient appropriation has been included in DRM’s 2025-26 budget and will be included in future recommended budgets.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
DRM self-administers the County’s general liability and workers’ compensation claims programs. Since 1998 DRM has contracted with specialized investigative service providers, as needed, to investigate general liability and workers’ compensation cases beyond existing staff investigations. These specialized investigations include cause of loss investigations, surveillance, scene investigations and data and record research. DRM does not have the staff, expertise or equipment necessary to provide these specialized services and has contracted the services since 1998. Contracting with these 10 specialized providers allows DRM to more accurately forecast and control costs by using a standard, low-cost fixed rate schedule. Each provider has various areas of specialization and experience. Work will be authorized for completion by the vendor based upon expertise, availability, and service area.
PROCUREMENT
On November 13, 2024, DRM released a request for proposals (RFP) No. RMG125-RMADM-5645 to solicit proposals for investigative services. The RFP was posted on the County Purchasing Department’s (Purchasing) Electronic Procurement Network (ePro) website and the following 10 vendors submitted proposals:
|
Vendor Name |
Location |
|
Ally Investigations Inc. |
Santa Clarita, CA |
|
Argus West Investigative Services |
San Diego, CA |
|
Apex Investigative Services Inc. |
Sacramento, CA |
|
Command Investigations |
Woodland Hills, CA |
|
Digi Stream, Los Angeles, Inc. |
Torrance, CA |
|
Direct Focus Investigations, LLC |
Temecula, CA |
|
Horsemen Inc. |
Huntington Beach, CA |
|
RJN Investigations, Inc. |
Riverside, CA |
|
SIU Consultant Group, LLC |
Pleasanton, CA |
|
Precise Investigative Services |
Montebello, CA |
An evaluation panel consisting of staff from the DRM and County Counsel, with oversight by the Purchasing, evaluated the proposals and ranked them based on compliance with RFP requirements, qualifications and experience, interviews, technical reviews, and cost evaluations. The evaluation panel recommends contracts be awarded to all the proposers. The recommended contract includes guaranteed rates for the entire term and shall be effective from May 6, 2025, through May 5, 2030. Award letters were sent out to all bidders on March 25, 2025.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (Adam Miederhoff, Principal Assistant County Counsel, 387-5455) on March 31, 2025; Purchasing (Jessica Barajas, Supervising Buyer, 387-2065) on March 31, 2025; County Administrative Office (Diane Rundles, Assistant Executive Officer, 387- 5572) on April 4, 2025; Finance (Ivan Ramirez, Administrative Analyst, 387-4020) on April 3, 2025; and County Finance and Administration (Paloma Hernandez-Barker, Deputy Executive Officer, 387-5423) on April 7, 2025.